Method of insuring the accurate registration of the plates for multi-color printing.



H. DALZIEL. METHOD OF INSURING THE ACCURATE REGISTRATION OF THE PLATES FOR MULTICOLOR PRINTING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 26. ISIS.

Patented Mar. 11,1919.

UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY DALZIEL, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

METHOD OF INSUBING THE ACCURATE REGISTRATION OF THE PLATES FOR MULTI- COLOR PRINTING.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented M 1 1 1919 Application filed December 28, 1918. Serial No. 268,232.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARVEY DALZIEL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 2 Plough Court, Fetter Lane, in the city of London, England, have invented a new and useful Improved Method for In-' suring the Accurate Registration of the Plates for Multicolor Printing, of which a series of plates bearing only a limited number of sub]ects in such a manner that accurately registering printed products in difi'erent colors will result but the difliculty increases greatly as the number of the subjects on a sheet is multiplied.

Accordingly I take plates repared by the ordinary photographic met ods, or duplicates from same (if necessary) bearing the registering marks which indicate the positions where holes are to be drilled and with holes drilled in those positions.

From the plates, usually the first or yellow plates, I take a number of impressions v on tracing paper equal to the number of subjects (or multiplications of one subject) which are to be represented on a sin le sheet. These impressions with printed s1de downward are stuck on to a sheet of unshrinkable Manila paper or metal such as zinc in the positions required for printing purposes. The sheet is clamped on to an unshrinkable mounting board preferably of the kind patented in Great Britain by Parker No. 2168/04 and stretched evenly over it.

Through the registering marks I insert a fine bodkin pricking a hole into the board. I then lift the Manila or metal sheet and screwed securely in their positions.

chalk a circle around each hole in the board to identify same for the positions for the steel pins, I then insert perfectly vertically fine steel pins of the exact size to fit the holes in the plate, using mechanical and other means to insure accuracy. I then drop the drilled plates of the first color on to the pins above mentioned. The holes in the plates are countersunk to enable them to find the pins more easily. The plates are then The Manila sheet with transfers attached is then used again as often as necessary on other boards and sets of plates of the succeeding colors are similarly positioned thereon.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated the method of placing plates or blocks for multicolor printing in accordance with my invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a board partly covered by a sheet of unshrinkable material upon which a number of impressions from one of the plates are pasted.

Fig. 2 is an edge new of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a board with some of the plates fitted in position.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a plate showing the counter sinking of one of the holes which enables its pin more readily to find its position.

a is a board, b is a sheet of unshrinkable material, 0 are impressions taken from one of the plates-and stuck on to the sheet I). It will be observed that the impressions all bear marks 01 which are reproduced during the photographic reproduction of the picture in the way that is already understood. The sheet 6 having been clamped on to the board a, the impressions are pasted on to the sheet in convenient positions. With a bodkin,

.awl or similar instrument pricks are made through the points d into the board. The sheet I; is then turned back and the holes 6 (see Fig. 2) made by the and are marked with chalk or the like to identify them easily if there are other holes already in the board.

Pins f (see Fig. 4) are then inserted into the holes 6, preferably driving them through holes in a flat plate or plates of the requisite thickness to insure accuracy in direction and height.

Having got the ins in position for all the impressions the p ates g previously drilled at the points which prmt the marks J can be dropped on to the pins-Without difiiculty especially if the noles are countersunk at the back as in Fig. 5. The plates are then finally secured. I

The-sheet is then clamped on to another board and-the opgration repeated.

A great num r of plates, representing difierent subjects or duplicates of the same subject may thus be accurately gositioned on the several boards and all the oards being treated alike all the plates of the complete series are mounted on them with a certainty of their properly registering when the colors are superimposed in succemive printings.

Thus the successive printings properly registered ma be effected on se arate letter tion and with a minimum of danger arising out of paper shrinkage between the printing operations.

What I claim is The improved method for insuring the accurate registration of a number of plates on mounting boards for multicolor printing, which consists in taking from plates prepared by the usual processes and bearing registering marks, a number of impressions,

fixing the impressions onto an unshrinlgable In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name this 10th day of December, 1918.

HARVEY DALZIEL. 

